


Blood Secrets

by xncasi



Series: Slytherin Adventures [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25947676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xncasi/pseuds/xncasi
Summary: It's Siv Andreasson's fourth year at Hogwarts, and the year starts off with a brilliant surprise: the Triwizard Tournament is set to begin! More surprising, however, is Draco Malfoy himself. After being assigned as partners together, they are forced to work out any bad blood that may linger between them from past comments. The pale boy is anything but friendly, and yet, they somehow still manage to form a solid bond (most likely through their mutual dislike of potions).But when Siv is forced to face a terrible new truth, their bond wavers. What is endangering their friendship? Can they move past this to become friends once again, and possibly more?**NOTE: use of swear words, this is a slow burn story!
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy/Reader
Series: Slytherin Adventures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883242
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. And so it Begins

"SIV! Grab the last pumpkin pasty!"

A pale Slytherin girl jumps at her name, then swiftly reaches for the last pasty left on the table. She gets it just in time too, because a heartbeat after, all the food fades away to leave spotless dishes behind. Across from her sits a fourth year Slytherin, one who's currently gesturing wildly for her to give him the pastry. Sighing and rolling her eyes in mock teasing, Siv opens her mouth and slowly begins to raise the pasty to her mouth.

"Siv Andreasson, I swear to Merlin's big toe, if you eat that-" Gagging at the thought of an old, disheveled man's toe, the Slytherin girl wrinkles her nose and hands it over the table. Her friend takes it and almost immediately inhales it, his eyes rolling into the back of his head at the taste. "Now THIS - THIS is some top tier shit right here," he moans aloud, savoring the taste of the pumpkin pasty. Siv snorts in laughter and shakes her head, giving him a look of faux disgust.

"Anias, you know that's down-right dirty, right?" The blonde snickers, eyeing her companion as he swallows the last morsel. The Slytherin boy Anias shakes his head as he wipes his hands on the napkin in his lap. "You wanna know what's dirty?" he murmurs, leaning over the center of the table. "The thoughts I'm having about Viktor Krum over there," Anias says lowly, wiggling his eyebrows for added effect. Unfortunately for the fourth year, he says it just as Dumbledore calls for quiet over the entire Great Hall. His comment doesn't go unnoticed by a nearby seventh year, Calaena, who promptly smacks him over the back of his head.

"Come now, really? We've only been back for less than two hours and you're already back at it," she scolds him in a whisper, despite the fact that her eyes are gleaming with thinly-veiled humor. Siv has to hold in a laugh as Anias falls back into his seat, raising an eyebrow at her. Just then, Millicent Bullstrode nudges Siv rather roughly.

"Shut up, will you?"

Smile fading from her face, Siv nods and turns her attention up to the front of the Great Hall. Dumbledore smiles warmly at the crowd of gathered students, although Siv can swear that he turns his gaze to their small portion of the Slytherin table. Shifting in her seat, the Slytherin fourth year listens with half an ear to what the headmaster is saying. No doubt it's actually important, but that doesn't stop Anias from trying to recapture her attention.

Turning her head ever-so-slightly to the side, Siv shoots her friend a dirty look; it isn't very convincing, considering that her lips are turned up in the beginnings of a smile. Satisfied that he has her attention, he nods up to the table to where Pansy Parkinson is sitting. The black-haired Slytherin is as beautiful as beautiful gets, at least in Siv's opinion; her flushed cheeks and averted eyes around Pansy never have gone unnoticed by Anias. Ever since their second year at Hogwarts, Anias has made it his personal goal to make Siv as uncomfortable as possible near her. Unfortunately for Siv, it seems like he's starting early this year.

Anias imitates kissing sounds and wraps his arms around his face, closing his eyes and really getting into it. Like really getting into it. Like, so much so that other students are starting to notice. Siv daringly flicks a hair tie at her friend, her face and neck turning a bright pink at his antics. The last thing she needs to worry about are other students guessing what he's going on about! Thankfully, her hair tie manages to snap Anias right in the eye. Shocked, he sits up and grabs his eye, then shakes his fist at her. Siv is about to respond when she can suddenly feel a pair of cold eyes resting pointedly on her.

She doesn't even have to guess to know who's staring her down.

Professor Snape, all the way up from the teacher's table, is glowering down at her. Specifically her, no thanks to Anias. Pursing her lips, Siv turns her attention fully back up to Dumbledore. The old man doesn't seem to have noticed a thing, which she supposes is good; no doubt they don't want their students messing around in front of the other schools.

Thankfully the headmaster is just finishing up his speech, which he ends with a few nonsensical words. As everyone in the Great Hall begins to stand up, Siv motions for Anias. "Hurry up, you bloody idiot!" Casting a glance back at the teachers' table, the fourth year notes that she can no longer see Snape. "Go! Meet me in the hallway!" she calls over the ruckus everyone is creating.

Not wanting to be held back by their moody head of house, Siv ducks through the crowd of students. Weaving her way through everyone, she reaches the entrance hall just before Anias. As they round the corner and start on their way to the dungeons, Siv panting in relief, they're both stopped by heavy hands on their shoulders. Anias turns around expectantly, all too familiar with these friendly talks. Siv, on the other hand, turns around much slower.

The last time she'd been reprimanded had been in their second year potions class, and it had been over a mistake she'd made in adding the wrong ingredient. If Snape had looked about ready to flay her then, she can only guess what he'll want to do this time. As soon as she turns around, she can feel her teacher's piercing glare. Siv desperately hopes that he might take it down a notch, considering they're surrounded by other students, but her hopes are dashed quite suddenly when he leans in and drawls, "Thought you could just run out of the hall and escape?"

Siv can't quite tell what Anias' reaction is, as she's too focused on avoiding Snape's glare. As Slytherins part to pass by the confrontation, the blonde fourth year has to fight the urge to melt into the floor completely. "I want to make one thing crystal clear to you both," Professor Snape hisses, his dark eyes flitting between the both of them. "I will not tolerate any sort of horse-play this year. No silly wand-waving, prank playing, or anything else of the sort." 

"We have a school to represent, and I expect you both to be on your best behavior." Releasing his hard grip on both their shoulders, Snape rises to his full height. "Now go. Before I change my mind and decide to give you an actual punishment for your crude behavior." Siv doesn't need to be told twice; she turns around and begins marching towards the stairwell. She has enough experience with her grandparents to know that snide remarks or gestures would not be tolerated in situations like these.

Anias salutes Professor Snape and opens his mouth to add a dry comment, but with the look Snape gives him he decides better of it. Whirling around, he follows his friend to the stairs and down into the dungeons. Professor Snape stands in the emptying entrance hall, watching the last two Slytherins disappear down into the depths of the castle.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the night goes much smoother for Siv and her friends. They both slip into the common room late, but no one except for Calaena notices. After a quick scolding from the seventh year, who firmly recommends not starting off the year on Snape's bad side, the pair part ways. "Meet me down here at eight, yeah?" Siv calls after Anias.

Tomorrow would be their first day of their fourth year at Hogwarts, and Siv would be damned if she showed up late to Potions class late. Even if she doesn't technically know her class schedule yet, she simply isn't willing to risk it.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day dawns bright and warm for Hogwarts. Well, for most of Hogwarts. Down in the dungeons it's still rather dark, most of the light coming from flickering candles in the common room. Siv doesn't mind though, because she can see the lake much more clearly. The large window that spans most of the wall looks out into the murky depths of the Black Lake. Far above, she can see the faint light of the sun piercing through the dark waters. Closer by, though, swims the giant squid. It's dark body deflects the light, making it look like a giant, black mass swimming through the lake.

Settling herself in one of the cozy armchairs, Siv allows her book bag to rest in her lap while she watches the inhabitants of the lake. Getting comfy, the Slytherin girl begins to realize how much she missed being at Hogwarts. Her home is comfortable, but she doesn't spend much time there anymore. No, instead her parents send her off to their grandparents' estate up in Norway. The country itself is gorgeous, but her grandparents? Not so much.

Both of them were nearing their eighties, but they were as feisty as she could ever remember them being. Her grandfather, a cold and calculating wizard, always wanted to see how her magic studies were coming along. Siv wouldn't mind showing him if he were a bit more tolerable, considering that he would always go off on tangents about how he was taught much better spells and potions during his time. Her grandmother was a quiet yet severe woman, and all she seemed to care about were Siv's manners. It was a miracle if they could get through a dinner together without her being reprimanded at least seven times about how she was sitting wrong. Her home isn't much better, with her father being an official at the Ministry and her mother working alongside him. Her sisters are the only part she enjoys about returning home, but they are still her siblings; it doesn't take long for them to get on her nerves.

Sighing, Siv rests her hand on her hand and observes a school of rather large-looking fish float by. She finds herself staring into their bulging, white eyes and zoning out. It isn't until Anias flops down on the armrest of her chair that she returns to reality.

"Well, good morning to you too!" Anias greets her with a teasing grin. As Siv stands up, he slings an arm over her shoulder and leads the way towards the entrance to the common room. "Now, I've heard some rumors going around that we're supposed to have Herbology first," Anias explains as they make their way to the Great Hall. Siv snorts at that, rolling her eyes.

"And who told you that? No, let me guess - a little birdie?"

Anias lets go of his friend and waves it off, grumbling, "Ha ha, very funny!" Regaining his composure, he shakes his head and motions back at the way they'd come. "No, I actually overheard your favorite person talking about it with none other than Draco Malfoy."

Hearing him bring up Pansy, Siv rolls her eyes. "You know that I don't actually like her, right? I just think - thought - she was pretty." At this Anias heaves a great sigh and waggles his finger at her. "No no no, there's no escaping this! And besides, that's not even the point I'm trying to make!"

As they round the corner and join pretty much the entire school in the Great Hall, Anias goes on to say, "You know Malfoy, his father is on the board, or whatever it's called. No doubt he hears about all the classes and schedules way before we ever do." Siv purses her lips and glances at her friend, saying, "Well that's right and fine, but do you actually believe anything that boy says? I mean, he's earned himself that ridiculous nickname - what was it again, 'The Slytherin Prince'? And the boy practically hyper-fixates on Harry Potter. I mean, does he have any personality traits besides that?"

Anias is about to open his mouth for a smart comeback when they're both roughly pushed aside. Siv catches herself on the table while Anias whirls around to see who ran into them. Her stomach sinks when she makes eye contact with none other than Malfoy himself, who looks thoroughly unimpressed with the comments she's just made.

"Might want to watch your tongue, girl, or you might find yourself having another chat with Professor Snape again," Draco hisses smoothly, his pale grey eyes narrowed with an unreadable emotion. Roughly moving past her and her friend, the "prince" is followed by Crabbe and Goyle. And for Merlin's sake, she knows they're probably pure-blood, but that surely doesn't mean they haven't heard of deodorant? The thought itself alone would usually make her laugh, but Siv looks as if she's just seen a ghost.

Sinking into her seat, the Slytherin girl puts her head in her hands. "Oh, no no no. No, I am NOT starting off the year this way. No way did that just happen," Siv groans lowly into the table. Despite the fact that her face is buried in her arms, she can still feel all the blood rushing to her face and neck. Her stomach churns anxiously as her mind begins to sift through all the possibilities. Would Draco bring it up to Snape? And on what grounds? It's not like she did anything horribly wrong, but still, he's Draco Malfoy. Anias stops staring after their fellow Slytherin classmates and joins his friend at the table, an unusual frown forming on his face.

"Well, that certainly could've gone better. Speak up next time, will you? I'm sure the rest of the hall would really enjoy hearing what you have to say; not like they already have." His frown is replaced by a snicker and lopsided grin, but it goes unmatched. Siv grumpily swats at her friend, still in agony over what has just happened.

"Was I really that loud?" she asks in a near inaudible whisper. She glances furtively around, as if to make sure that no one is close enough to eavesdrop. Anias sighs and shakes his head, his smile fading. "No, you weren't. That was just some unlucky business, that's all."

As Snape begins walking down the length of the Slytherin table, handing out his students' schedules, Siv can't help but wonder if her luck will improve by the end of the day.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It turns out that Anias had heard Malfoy correctly after all: they were starting their day with herbology. Normally, Siv would be excited. The prospect of just simply being back in class at Hogwarts is usually enough to lift her spirits, but she's still incredibly nervous about her earlier run-in with Draco. Anias is too excited to notice though. He loves plants more than anything in the entire world; except, of course, for dragons.

As they make their way down the grassy hill to the greenhouses, Siv can feel the knot in her stomach tighten. How could she have been so stupid? The least she could've done was berate Anias for believing a rumor; she figures that would've upset Malfoy much less. As they grow closer to their destination, Siv can no longer keep her mouth shut.

Walking a few paces ahead of Anias, she stops in his path. Anias, who's busy daydreaming about plants, or maybe one of the Durmstrang students, doesn't notice until he bumps into her.

"Hey! What-?"

Siv turns her bright hazel gaze up to her friend, dread causing her to simply open and close her mouth like a fish.

"Shut your mouth dear, you don't wanna catch any flies," her friend hums, closing her jaws for her with a tap of his finger. He tries to sidestep her to continue on his merry way, but she steps out in front of him once more.

"Anias, please! I-...How bad was what I said, back up there?" Siv asks, sounding unsure of herself. Her friend sighs and gives her a slight smile, saying, "In all honesty? It was quite funny. And I'm sure Malfoy needed to hear it anyway, he's a right git sometimes." This, as nice as it sounds, does nothing to soothe Siv's fears.

As Anias begins walking forwards once more, Siv starts walking backwards so she can stay in her friend's line of sight. 'No, I'm serious, I need to kn-"

"Siv, please, watch-!"

The sandy blonde Slytherin student stumbles back right into a solid figure. Mortified at her mistake, she rights herself and turns on her heel to see who it is she's bumped into. Hopefully it would just be Calaena playing a joke. Merlin's beard, she'd even taken Millicent Bullstrode and her nasty hits!

Much to her utter horror, however, Siv is making eye contact yet again with the same pair of grey eyes.


	2. A Bad Day Gets Worse, with a Side of Chewing Gum

Siv stares up at Draco for what feels like years, when in reality it's only a few heartbeats. The platinum blonde boy seems just as surprised as she is, at first. After all, hadn't they only just run into each other up at the castle?

The shock of the moment quickly fades though, for the both of them. Malfoy's lips turn downwards in a sneer, and Siv can feel her heart rate pick up. Reaching to grab her book bag, Siv realizes that it's halfway down her arm. When did that happen? She can't remember that at all - but then, does it matter? Because she's currently standing in the path of Draco Malfoy, one of the rudest prats in the entire school. And it seems that she's also pissed him off.

Oh, joy.

Draco dusts himself off, despite the fact that he hadn't even fallen, and glares daggers at Siv. "I told you to watch where you're going, you git!" he snaps. Crabbe and Goyle snicker at the confrontation, watching on in amusement. Feeling cornered, Siv attempts to explain herself. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't - you - I -"

"I-I'm - didn't - what was that? Are you done wasting my time with your excuses?" Draco sneers. At this, Anias steps in. "We were just leaving," he states coolly, then grabs Siv's arm to try and lead her away. Feeling her face heat up, the Slytherin girl forces down her emotions and tears. She stops, not allowing Anias to walk her away from the greenhouses. Where would they go anyways, back to the castle?

No, she will not be missing her first class of the first day of her fourth year because someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Anias isn't expecting the stop, however, and he stumbles when he realizes he's pulling on dead weight. Looking back, he makes eye contact with Siv and sighs when he sees her steely determination. So much for possibly missing class.

Crabbe and Goyle stop their snickering when Draco's target stops in her tracks. Draco, too, pauses. It's not that he's surprised, per-say, but out of all the possible reactions he isn't expecting what happens next.

Biting her lip, Siv steels herself. What would her grandfather say? What would her mother say? They certainly wouldn't want her to break down crying, not in front of another pure-blood, English git who thinks he's the best thing to happen since sliced bread. Shutting out the voice in her head that pleads to return to her dorm, Siv collects herself. Turning around with as much grace as she can possibly muster - which isn't a lot, considering how clumsy she is - Siv marches right past Draco Malfoy and enters the greenhouse. Anias stares after her for only a few seconds before he begins following, not bothering to spare the other Slytherins a second glance.

Neither of the friends bother to look back and watch their reactions. For one, Siv might end up crying if she does, and she cannot afford to make herself look like a fool. For Anias, he couldn't care less what those bloody morons are thinking right now.

The pair make their way over to an open spot at the table, which thankfully isn't surrounded by too many people. When Anias attempts to strike up a conversation about the confrontation, however, Siv simply doesn't reply. He tries to get her attention by whispering her name multiple times, flicking her arm, and he even goes so far as to step forcefully on her foot. The only response he gets is a hiss of pain and a swat on the arm.

By this time, Professor Sprout is ready to begin the lesson. Guessing that Siv wouldn't take kindly to having her first class interrupted, Anias takes the hint and focuses his attention on the task at hand. Meanwhile, Siv has taken it upon herself to hone in to every word their teacher is telling them right now. She grasps onto the end of every sentence, eyes bright and keen with an interest to learn. Underneath this facade though, Siv is doing her best to keep it together. What would she gain by zoning out anyways?

Despite herself, the Slytherin student still finds her mind wandering. She thinks over the encounter last night with Snape, and then recalls her run-in with Malfoy earlier this morning. Why, when the most exciting event of her entire time at Hogwarts is happening, does she have to start the year off on such a bad note? She'd left home hoping that it would be better at Hogwarts, at the very least. With her parents' bickering and constant coldness towards each other, it made being around them nearly impossible. And her grandmother, constantly asking her about finding a "nice, pure-blood boy" to begin dating; she'd even gone so far as to question if Siv was a lesbian, and to her face nonetheless!

(She hadn't been entirely honest in saying she was straight, but that's something they don't need to know for the time being.)

And her grandfather is an entirely different story for a later time. That nightmare of a senile man had made her summer holiday her own personal hell, but she had thought that once she got to Hogwarts it would be better. She'd be seeing her friends again and she would finally be away from home, where the stifling amount of tension almost makes her wish she isn't pure-blood.

Almost.

And anyways, this entire day has been centered around that Malfoy prick. First he overhears her talking poorly about his lack of personality - which is true, might she add - and then she walks right into him? She would feel bad for constantly getting in his way if he wasn't such an insufferable twat for it. Just thinking about Draco Malfoy turns her face a vibrant shade of red and causes her hands to shake in anger. What has she ever done to him? Before this year they had never even talked! Why is he suddenly becoming such an issue?

Siv is too caught up in her thoughts to notice how tightly she's gripping the empty pot in her hands. She must've picked it up subconsciously along with everyone else, because the next thing she knows it's shattered in her hands. The fragile terracotta had easily cracked underneath her damaging grip, creating a loud breaking noise that echoes around the greenhouse. Her Herbology gloves that she'd put on at the beginning of class are thankfully too thick for any sharp pieces to pierce her skin, but the damage has been done.

At least half the class has pinpointed Siv as the source of noise, including Professor Sprout. The kindly teacher has paused her lesson to look over at Siv in concern, which makes her want to sink right into the floor. "Um...can I be excused? Please?" she asks in a small voice. Professor Sprout nods encouragingly, telling her to not worry one little bit about the pot, and then returns to the lesson.

Siv avoids eye contact with Anias as she makes for the exit, hoping he would simply understand that she needs some time to herself. She can't even bear to think what Malfoy and his goons must be doing right now. Laughing, she supposes. Clenching her fists, Siv leaves the greenhouse and furiously stalks off towards the Black Lake.

As she walks, she begins to calm down and regret her behavior. She should've been paying attention! Why did she have to grab the pot so hard? Mentally kicking herself for her silly mistake, Siv only stops once she's on the pebbly shore. Plopping down on the rocks, the sandy blonde curls up and rests her chin on her knees. Staring out across the calm surface of the lake, Siv bites her lip.

Why is the first day of her fourth year going so poorly?

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Siv eventually does return to Herbology, where she's brought up to date by Anias. She makes eye contact with no one else, and she doesn't even bother to look in the direction of Draco. Acting as if she'd just returned from a casual bathroom break, the Slytherin girl gives no extra energy to asking herself why her return to Hogwarts is going so questionably bad.

Soon enough, Herbology is over. Setting aside their gloves and grabbing their book bags, students begin filing out the greenhouse door. Their next class will be Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors, which is surely going to be an interesting endeavor. Siv takes her time packing her bag, hoping to wait until Draco leaves before her. Once she's certain that he's gone, she tells Anias that she'll catch up with him at their next class. Her friend hesitates, but knowing that he can't convince her, he nods and turns to leave. Alone with Professor Sprout, the sandy-haired Slytherin offers her apologies to her teacher.

"Professor Sprout? I-I'm terribly sorry about this pot, I didn't mean to break it, I-" The grey-haired lady smiles kindly and raises a hand to ask for silence. "I know, dear. It's happened to the best of us, believe me," she chuckles. Coming over with a dustpan and broom, she enchants them to clean up the mess while addressing her student. 

"I've done the same thing one too many times. In fact, it reminds me that I need to put in a new order for sturdier pots..." Professor Sprout trails off, patting her pockets for a quill. Seeing that their short conversation is pretty much at an end, Siv thanks her teacher, grabs her book bag, and then sets out for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ministry malcontent. And your new defense against the dark arts teacher. I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, goodbye, the end. Any questions?" Mad-Eye Moody states, turning around to face the class. He's greeted by the attentive stares of Gryffindor and Slytherin students alike, all watching their new teacher with piqued interest.

Seeing that he's getting no questions, Mad-Eye forges on. "When it comes to the dark arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many unforgivable curses there are?" The classroom is silent at first, until Hermione raises her hand.

"Three, sir," the bushy-haired girl states confidently, although Siv can hear the slight waver in her voice. She really can't blame the Gryffindor girl; the Unforgivable Curses are not to be taken lightly. Mad-Eye nods, asking her, "And they are so named?"

Hermione seems a little shaken, but she presses on and answers his question. "Because they are unforgivable. Use of any one of them..." She trails off, her eyes darting down to study her hands on her desk.

"Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban. Correct." Mad-Eye paces to the other side of the chalkboard, then pauses to study his class before going on to say, "Now the ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do. I say different!" Turning around to face the board, their teacher begins hastily writing down something with chalk while talking. "You need to know what you're up against, you need to be prepared, you need to find somewhere else to put your chewing gum other than the underside of your desk Mr. Finnigan!"

At this sudden and strange interruption, Siv startles in her seat. Many other students turn to look over at Seamus Finnigan, who is, in fact, trying to stick gum to the underside of his desk. Seamus mutters something that is most likely meant to only be heard by the people around him, saying, "Aw no way, the old codger can see out the back of his head." At this, Mad-Eye chucks his piece of chalk in Seamus' general direction. He misses, but Finnigan ducks while cursing under his breath.

Anias and Siv exchange a look, but their reactions are quite different. Anias is trying his best not to smile, while Siv gives him a look that screams 'if you even think about opening your mouth I will end you.' The point is taken, clearly, because Anias doesn't open his mouth once for the rest of class.

The rest of the class shares a similar view as Anias though; all of them are waiting with bated breaths for what will happen next. When Mad-Eye calls on Ron Weasley and begins to explain the Imperius Curse, things start to get a little hairy. Siv isn't expecting one of the Unforgivable Curses to be demonstrated right before their eyes. Of course, she knows what the curses are and what they do, but there's a clear difference between knowing and then seeing them performed.

Her mood lifts a little though when the large bug Mad-Eye is demonstrating the Imperius Curse on lands on Malfoy's face. Laughing along with the rest of the class as they watch Draco squirm uncomfortably in his seat, Siv thinks that maybe, just maybe, she can begin to enjoy this class.

This doesn't last at all, though.

Soon, the seriousness of these curses is impressed upon them all. After watching the large bug struggle over a beaker of water, writhe in excruciating pain, and die with a sudden flash of green light, Siv feels queasy. As soon as class is dismissed, she grabs her book bag and Anias and her leave the classroom feeling uneasy.

"Why do you think he showed us those curses? It's a dark note to start on for our very first day of class," Siv ponders aloud, her eyes trained on the staircase as they descend the steps together. Anias shrugs, taking the last few steps at a slight jog. "Who knows? Maybe he wants to get all of the hard stuff out of the way at the beginning of the year," he jokes, leading the way down the hall. Siv rolls her eyes and shoves her friend lightly, snorting in laughter.

"Right, tell me that again when he piles on all the extra hard essays and assignments right before winter holidays. Anyways, what class do we have next?"

The pair walk down the hallway and push through two massive doors, where they enter the outside walkway of the courtyard. It's currently bustling with students walking in every direction; some first-years anxiously sprint by so they won't be late to their next class. Others are relaxing over by the fountain, sitting on the edge or in the grass as they talk. The pair of Slytherin students pass everyone by as Anias pulls out his class schedule.

Peering over his arm, Siv groans inwardly at the sight of potions. 

Of course, it's just when she thinks her day is getting better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello y'all, welcome back to chapter two!
> 
> as stated in my last author's note, Anias belongs to a friend; he is not my character. i also used some direct quotes from the Goblet of Fire movie in this chapter, so i just want to make it clear that these specific pieces of dialogue were not written by me, nor do they belong to me :)


	3. A Quill-Snapping Bad Time

As students begin to filter into the Great Hall for their lunch break, two Slytherin friends are loitering just outside the door. One tall, lanky student has his arms crossed in front of his chest and is looking down at the other student expectantly. The sandy-blonde is returning his gaze with the same level of intensity, her lips pursed stubbornly. 

"Come on, Siv! Something clearly was bothering you down in Herbology! For Merlin's sake, you broke a pot right in your hands!" Anias states pointedly, raising an eyebrow. He knows what's got his friend all worked up, but he doesn't want to take his chances by bringing up the guy's name. He'd somehow managed to spawn in their general vicinity whenever his name was said, so Anias decides it's for the best if he doesn't do any name-dropping. Not like Siv needs any more stress caused by that absolute arse.

Siv narrows her eyes at her friend, furiously whispering, "And I told you that I don't want to talk about it!" Glancing at a small group of passing Ravenclaws, she lowers her voice and mutters, "You've known me for four years now and you still haven't seemed to learn."

The Slytherin girl loves her friend, of course, but sometimes he truly could have his head up his arse. Her problems were her own, and she could take care of them just fine, thank you very much.

Turning on her heel, Siv whips her head around and stalks off into the Great Hall. She ignores her name being called, instead choosing to sit in a well-populated area of the Slytherin table. She normally would sit anywhere else, but she knows that Anias wouldn't risk bringing it up again around their class-mates.

Anias, meanwhile, gives up and follows his friend. Grumbling under his breath about a "stubborn prat who refuses to ask for any help," he slumps into the seat across from Siv. The dark-haired boy gives his friend one last knowing look before turning his full attention to the meal before them.

The table is by no means packed with endless choices, but there's still a fair amount of food to choose from. Anias begins by tucking into a savory plate of lamb-chops, and then graduates to a Cornish Pasty or two. He's so busy inhaling his food that he doesn't pay much mind to Siv's lack of food, but she really doesn't mind. Her head is still reeling from this morning's unfortunate confrontations with Draco Malfoy; again, how could she somehow be that unlucky?

After a minute or two of just staring at the table though, she feels her stomach grumble hungrily. The last thing she really wants to do right now is eat lunch, on account of the fact that they have Potions next. She has always found that attending Professor Snape's class with an empty stomach is best, ever since she watched Dean Martin throw up his breakfast in their first year during class. She isn't quite sure what caused it, but then again she does remember a foul smell coming from whatever they all had to brew.

Regardless, Siv knows that she should probably still at the very least try to eat something; she won't have any other time to eat, not until dinner. The Slytherin girl helps herself to a piece of shepherd's pie, although she really only takes a few bites before her mind is wandering.

Forcing herself away from the topic of this morning, Siv begins to consider the Triwizard Tournament. She really hasn't given it too much thought since the announcements last night, considering all her excitement at being back at Hogwarts. Turning her head, Siv searches out the flaming Goblet of Fire. It sits at the front of the Great Hall, directly before the teachers' table. A few Hufflepuff students are clumped around it, but she's too far away to hear what they're saying.

Taking another bite, the Slytherin student eyes the goblet itself. Would she join, if she were old enough? Chewing thoughtfully, Siv runs through the description of the event itself from last night. Before she has time to finish her thought, she's interrupted by Anias. He's on his first Cornish Pasty, but that doesn't stop him from talking while chewing and asking, "Thinking about tryna slip past the age barriers, huh?"

Siv takes another bite and shakes her head, but swallows before answering. "Nah, not really." Looking down at her half-eaten piece of Shepherd's Pie, she adds, "I don't think I would have the stomach for it. Sounds too dangerous, might be more fun just to watch." Anias shrugs, his "if you say so," muffled by the food in his mouth. The sandy blonde jokingly rolls her eyes and continues eating, her focus back on her lunch.

They eat in silence for literally maybe a few heartbeats before Anias is not-so-inconspicuously kicking Siv under the table. Choking on her food in surprise, she is forced to quickly look over her shoulder by her friend's violent motioning. For a moment, she's not sure what she's looking at. There are a few students from another house sitting behind her, but after another kick from Anias she sees a few Beauxbatons students beyond them.

Quirking an eyebrow, she turns around and gives her fellow Slytherin student a questioning look. "Well?" Leaning in, Anias murmurs, "Isn't that girl over there just dreamy? Makes me want to-" Siv slaps a hand over her friend's mouth, shaking her head. Swallowing what she thinks'll be her last bite, she whispers, "Are you an idiot? Do you want everyone at this table to hear you?"

Thankfully, none of their house-mates seem to notice their abnormal behavior. Leaning back in her seat, Siv asks, "Aren't you looking after that quidditch champion anyways? Viktor Krum?" Anias sighs dramatically and rolls his eyes, swallowing the last morsel of his second pasty. "Him? You've got to be kidding, didn't you know I was joking last night? Man is shaped like a bloody brick," he snorts, shaking his head. Siv opens her mouth as if to defend Krum, but unable to think of anything, she shuts her mouth seconds later.

Shrugging, Siv says, "I mean...I was gonna argue against that but I don't really find him that attractive anyways." Anias nods, then leans in again for dramatic effect. "But you know who is attractive?" Thinking she knows where this is going, the sandy blonde rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to say "Pansy Parkinson," but she's cut off abruptly. Anias motions for Siv to look over her shoulder once again, shushing her. Pursing her lips, the Slytherin girl glances swiftly over her shoulder.

Peering past the students who are sitting at the table behind her, she's able to make out the blue-grey cloaks of the Beauxbatons students. Within the group sits a dainty blonde, one who is currently studying the food on her fork with a rather uncertain gaze. Siv turns back around, furrowing a brow at her friend. "Eh?" Anias asks, waggling an eyebrow.

While the other girl's cheeks are tinted by a rosy blush, and her hair drawn back into a fashionable braid, she certainly...oh, what is she saying? Siv grudgingly agrees with her friend, although she's a little put off by the idea that Anias and her share any taste in other people.

Shortly after, the pair of Slytherins grab their book bags and depart from the Great Hall before most others, making their way towards the castle grounds. Considering that they still have a decent hour left, Siv decides that a trip to her favorite place is in order. Walking the worn path down the steep hillside, she turns her gaze skywards. The sun from earlier that morning is now partially covered by some fast-moving clouds, which are scudding across the blue sky. A light breeze picks up as they grow closer to the Black Lake, carrying with it the fresh scent of the late summer forest. Soon the leaves would begin to turn colors and drift down from the trees, decorating the lawns of Hogwarts with brilliant shades of orange, yellow, and red.

Just thinking about it lifts Siv's spirits. The thought of Halloween treats, the feast, and being able to snuggle up in the common room with a good book warms her heart. Sure, summer is good, but autumn would always be her favorite season.

They reach the small copse of trees quicker than Siv had expected, although she doesn't mind. Setting her feet on her familiar path, the Slytherin girl slips through the forest silently. In her first year at Hogwarts she'd spent much time around the Black Lake, thinking about how much she'd missed the Norwegian Sea at her grandparents' estate. Her daily excursions along the shore had led her to a protected little inlet within the copse, and after weeks of returning to this spot she'd forged her own path.

Anias, too, is familiar with the path that cuts through the small grouping of trees. Thankfully, these particular trees lie a decent ways away from the Forbidden Forest, meaning they aren't prohibited from entering. As Siv exits the woods and steps out into the familiar little clearing, she takes a deep breath. Enjoying the sensation of the cool shade on her face, she walks forward a few paces before sitting in a patch of soft grass. Anias follows suit, plopping down only a little ways away from her.

Siv happily stretches her legs out in front of her, while her friend eyes a curious-looking plant he'd never seen before. The friends enjoy the comfortable silence for some time, listening to the bird song that resonates through the forest. Above, the white clouds are beginning to mass together however. Almost an hour or so passes before the two say a word to each other.

During this time, Siv pulls out her potions book and begins flipping through it curiously. Anias, on the other hand, has turned his full attention to the sprouting plant; he'd taken out a small notebook at some point and had started carefully sketching.

Siv's reading is interrupted by a fat raindrop, which falls and soaks into the spotless page of her new potions textbook. Frowning, she looks upwards and immediately catches a raindrop in her eye. "Might as well head back, it's starting to rain," she sighs. Slipping her book back into her bag, she stands up and waits for Anias before they set off. The trees are fortunately thick enough to block out most of the sprinkling, but by the time they're on the hill it starts pouring down in sheets. Startled by the sudden downpour, the Slytherin friends race up the hill and into the cover of the castle.

When they reach the castle and step inside, the both of them are soaked and breathless. Siv shivers slightly at the prospect of having to head down to the dungeons, but Anias is freely chuckling. "Nothing like a midday shower, huh?" he snorts in laughter. Siv swats her friend playfully, although she can't help the smile that plays at the corners of her lips. As they make their way downstairs to change before class, they both hear the reverberating chimes of the giant clock. Siv exchanges a terrified look with Anias, both knowing what that means: they're late for class! And it's potions!

Siv nearly trips over herself in her mad dash to get down the stairs. Once she's reached the dungeons, she books it towards the potions classroom. Anias is right behind her as they skid into class, only seconds late. Professor Snape seems to have started early, much to Siv's dislike. As the pair make their way towards an open table at the back of the classroom, Snape pauses in his reading to pointedly glare at them. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Siv has the nagging suspicion that if they weren't in Slytherin they would've been docked ten points each.

A few of the Gryffindor and Slytherin students glance boredly back at them, clearly not caring that they've just interrupted the beginning of one of Snape's droning lectures. Regardless, Siv can feel her face involuntarily flush with embarrassment. Sitting down, she sets her book bag on the floor beside her and tunes in to Professor Snape.

"-was saying, before I was rather rudely interrupted," he coughs, sending a cool glance towards the back of the classroom, "Please turn to page five in your new textbooks." Students begin taking out their books, but not nearly as quietly as Snape would've hoped. Grimacing at his class of fourth years, he decides it isn't worth lecturing them for and forges on with the lesson.

As he dully carries on, however, most of the students are fidgeting restlessly. Dean Thomas of Gryffindor is carefully passing notes up to Seamus Finnigan while Snape's back is turned; Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil are quietly giggling to each other at their own table. Hermione is mumbling under her breath, while Ron is clearly struggling to stay awake. The Slytherins aren't without fault, though.

Pansy is whispering hurriedly to Draco closer to the front of the classroom; meanwhile, Crabbe is trying to antagonize Goyle by poking him repeatedly with his quill. Anias, in turn, finds this somewhat humorous and goes to poke Siv to catch her attention. Startled, she jumps slightly in her seat and follows her gaze to the two goons. Goyle is clearly starting to get irritated, and the pair in the back have to stifle their snickers when he snatches Crabbe's quill.

Unfortunately for the class, Professor Snape isn't completely stupid; he's noticing most of this, and perhaps if he were in a better mood he would've let them off with a simple lecture. However, considering that he'd been woken up by Peeves' throwing a ball against his door very early this morning, he certainly is not in a good mood.

The oily-haired teacher whirls around, slamming his book shut with a loud snap. Ron startles awake and many of the whispers and note passing immediately stop, but Goyle is not as lucky; he'd been straining to snap Crabbe's quill for the past few seconds. Finally, with a red face, the large boy snaps the quill with a loud crack seconds after the room falls silent.

Siv immediately stops laughing when she sees the severe look on their teacher's face. Anias, though, clearly can't contain his laughter and snorts aloud.

For everyone to clearly hear him.

Sinking uncomfortably into her chair, Siv avoids Snape's furious glare. "Find something funny?" Professor Snape sneers at Anias. Clearing his throat, Siv's friend straightens his tie and shakes his head. "No, sir." Curling his lip, their teacher turns on his heel and retreats to the front of the classroom. On his way to the front, he angrily slams his book on Ron's desk; the red-head, who'd been falling asleep, again, jumps awake at once.

"I would appreciate, Mr. Weasley, if you would stay awake during my class," Professor Snape drawls. Turning back around to face the class, he gives them all a disapproving glare before opening his book once more. "Need I remind any of you fourth year students again that there will be no funny business in my class, you will find yourself with pre-assigned partners."

Siv's stomach twists horribly at the mere thought of being partnered up with anyone in this classroom. The Gryffindors are nice enough and some of her house-mates are friendly, but she really can't imagine comfortably working with anyone besides Anias. Her friend doesn't seem as bothered though, because as soon as Snape's turned around he's folding an origami dragon. Siv resists the urge to bury her head in her hands and instead really attempts to focus on her textbook.

It seems that for the next few minutes many of her classmates are determined to do the same. Everyone is reading and scribbling down notes, including Crabbe, who has somehow gotten a new quill. Ron is clearly struggling to stay awake more though, as his head continually dips and picks back up again.

Snape's word is only good for about five minutes though, because students are soon unfocused once again. Pansy is looking over her shoulder to berate Crabbe for kicking her seat, and Seamus is passing a note back to Harry this time. Neville, meanwhile, is trying his best to keep Dean looking towards the front of the class. He's clearly terrified that they'll be caught, and Merlin knows how he hates being yelled at by Snape.

It's all coming to a head when Anias scribbles a quick note on the wing of his dragon. Sending it off with a discreet wave of his wand, it begins to float gracefully over towards where Lavender Brown is sitting. At this moment, Ron snores loudly and startles himself awake.

Professor Snape has turned around before anyone can turn back around in their seats; Pansy glares at Draco as he snickers at her dilemma, while Neville begins anxiously biting his nails. Seamus and Harry try to play off the fact that they were passing notes, but everyone turns to follow Snape's gaze to the floating dragon. It gently settles on the table beside Lavender Brown, who looks fairly surprised to see it. Lip curling again into what Siv would consider to be an "expression of constipation," he calmly asks, "Do us the pleasure of reading what is on that note. Now."

Lavender swallows and picks it up, turning it so she can read it clearly. "It says, 'What are answers for Herbology homework one through eighteen?'" she murmurs, her face flushing now that she's the center of attention. "Well, caught cheating now, are we?" their teacher drawls, turning his dark gaze on Anias." Well, there will certainly be none of this silly meeting in broom closets." Professor Snape's black, stormy eyes are filled with some mixture of rage, and then some fury. In other words, he's very, very, very pissed.

Setting his book down deliberately, the potions teacher faces his class and nastily smiles. "Since you all have decided to not heed my warning, I will be assigning partners. You clearly cannot be expected to handle yourselves in this classroom setting, so these partners will remain all of this term." No one dares to groan aloud, although Draco only rolls his eyes. He probably isn't too worried, considering the fact that his family is good friends with Snape. He'd most likely be paired up with Pansy or Blaise, Siv figures.

"When I tell you your partners, you will wait until everyone is paired off. Then, you will be moving to tables that I will be assigning."

The entire class sits with bated breath as Snape slowly begins to pair his students together.

"Hermione, I want you to work with Millicent."

"Blaise, you will be working with Potter."

This goes on for quite some time, and it's all happening entirely out of alphabetical order. Anxious because she doesn't know when her name will be called, Siv begins to fidget uncomfortably in her seat. Finally, when Professor Snape clears his throat and clearly states her name, she tenses up.

"Siv, you will be working with Draco here."

Neither of them had expected this. Siv's day had only just started to look up after lunch, and now she has to work with Draco Malfoy for the whole term?

Draco, on the other hand, is staring up at Snape incredulously. How could he pair him with that girl? All she's managed to do today is run into him, bad mouth him, and break a pot! She's clearly clumsy; it wouldn't even be five minutes before she'd be melting his cauldron!

Anias is outraged by this pairing, and he inadvertently shows it with a strong look of disgust on his face.

"Is there something wrong with this, Anias?" Their teacher sneers. Siv can swear by Merlin's beard that he's getting a kick out of this, although she only spares him a glance before looking away. Anias deliberates before shaking his head and replying, "No, Professor."

Satisfied that he will not be interrupted by any of his students, Snape finishes pairing off his class. Anias ends up partnered with Lavender Brown, much to his chagrin.

Before they split ways, Anias and Siv share a knowing look. Surely this can't be that bad, right? It's only a few times a week they have to do this, anyways.

As Siv nears the table Draco and her will be sharing though, she practically gulps. The platinum blonde is sitting still as a statue, only turning to give her a cold glance before facing forward again.

Maybe this will be that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: welcome to chapter three of my little escapade :) i was successful in making this chapter a bit longer this time, and now that i've set the scene we'll be seeing more of draco & siv!
> 
> anias is not my character, he belongs to a friend of mine :)


	4. The Wit-Sharpening Potion

As soon as Siv sits down in her new seat, she can already tell she's going to hate it here. They're much closer to the front of the classroom, which means she's always in direct view of Professor Snape. This, she guesses, is more ideal with Draco as a partner; if it were Anias, she'd have already started counting down the seconds until they'd be scolded.

And speaking of her partner, he's pointedly refusing to acknowledge her. Siv has half a mind to turn around and look to Anias for help from across the classroom, but she knows she'd be seen by their teacher almost immediately. Sighing, the sandy blonde girl grabs her book and reopens it to the correct page. She might as well try to focus on Snape, considering that Malfoy definitely won't be putting on any type of show for her entertainment.

As the classroom settles into an uncomfortable silence, Professor Snape smiles coldly. Rolling his sleeves up, he grabs his large textbook and begins reading once again. Picking up her quill and grabbing her parchment for notes, Siv sets herself to writing down notes. It continues like this for at least fifteen minutes, the sound of scribbling quills the only sound filling the classroom besides Snape's lecturing.

Finally, Professor Snape snaps his book shut and sets it down on his demonstration table. "Now, I expect you to have taken satisfactory notes," he drawls, staring down his long nose at Potter. Lifting his gaze to sweep the classroom, the potions master goes on to say, "And with the assistance of your textbook, you will be brewing the Wit-Sharpening Potion with your partner." Siv can see Draco shift to grab his cauldron, but he's interrupted by Snape. "And only one cauldron will be used in the creation of this potion."

Siv can feel herself shriveling up on the inside as Draco's sharp glance pierces her. As Snape dismisses the class so they can start working, the Slytherin girl swallows her anxiety and pride to turn to her partner. If she has to work with this git, she might as well just get on with it; no doubt he also strongly dislikes having to work with her. Opening her mouth to ask Malfoy if she should get the ingredients, Siv stops short when the boy gets up and stalks over to the shelves.

Clamping her mouth shut, Siv rolls her eyes and pushes her stuff to the side. So much for working together.

When he returns with the required ingredients, Siv hesitates; should she reach over and check that he has it all right? He probably wouldn't appreciate it, but she'd rather face Draco Malfoy now than an angry Snape later. Reaching out to grab some of the root and container of armadillo bile, she picks them up and nearly drops them in shock when Draco venomously hisses, "What are you doing?"

Taking a deep breath, Siv sets the ingredients down in the center of the table and bravely looks up at her partner. The platinum blonde is glowering down at her, his stormy grey eyes barely veiling his complete and utter disgust. "I-I just want to check that you have everything," she mutters, lowering her gaze back to their ingredients. Draco snorts and crosses his arms in front of his chest. Taking this as a sign that she can continue, Siv pulls all the gathered materials into the center of the table and looks them over.

She counts the four ginger roots, one dead scarab beetle, a cup of armadillo bile, and...only two newt spleens. Biting her lip, Siv turns on her heel and walks around the table; best to just go get it instead of arguing with Draco. The entire way over to the shelves she can feel his piercing gaze on her back. Ignoring it the best she can, Siv grabs a third slimy newt spleen from an open jar and deposits it back on the table.

"I had it right, I was just about to go and get another before you interrupted," Draco growls, his eyebrows furrowed. Siv carefully avoids his gaze as she pulls her textbook over, saying, "I just went to get it for you."

Never mind that he had probably forgotten the third spleen, but she'll never say that to his face. Best let him believe that he's in the right.

As Siv peers over her book and begins grounding the scarab beetle into a fine powder, she can feel her partner's annoyance coming off of him in waves. He's viciously chopping the ginger roots into uneven pieces, which Siv does her best to ignore. Hopefully his carelessness won't cost them a decent grade.

Emptying the ground scarab beetle into the cauldron, Siv returns to her textbook to check it over. At that moment, Draco manages to drop a slimy newt spleen directly onto her spotless book.

"Sorry," Malfoy drawls, taking his time to set the other spleens aside before he picks up the one on her book. Biting her tongue, Siv has to restrain herself from crying, snapping at him, or any mixture of the two. This class won't last forever, and once it's done she can attempt to clean up her beloved potions textbook.

Despite the fact that Snape is a horrid person all around, potions is easily one of her best subjects. Plus, Siv enjoys the class; she won't be letting Draco ruin this time for her, not if she can help it. Taking another deep breath to calm herself, Siv realizes that she can barely make out the words on this page; the juices from the spleen have soaked through the page, blurring the text.

Swallowing back what would become a groan, Siv collects herself. She doesn't want to ask Professor Snape for a spare book, and she certainly doesn't want to ask Draco if she can borrow his. She'll have to make do with what's before her.

Biting her lip, the Slytherin student glances over to see what Draco is up to. He's busy slicing the newt spleens into thin pieces, which is something that does need to get done. Maybe he isn't as useless as she originally thought.

Spotting the cutting board of hastily diced ginger root, Siv deliberates momentarily before reaching out to grab it. The chunks are way too big to possibly create a successful Wit-Sharpening Potion, so she might as well make herself useful. Grabbing the board and knife, Siv prepares to begin dicing the ginger root further. As she grasps the knife and goes to make the first cut, she's distracted by Draco's irritating voice.

"What are you doing? I already did that."

Stopping herself from rolling her eyes, Siv carries on with her task and says, "They're not small enough; do you want to be drinking a chunky Wit-Sharpening Potion?" It comes out sassier than she'd been expecting, albeit not by much. This doesn't go without notice by Draco though, who flashes his partner with one of the nastiest side-eyes he can muster. Again, choosing to ignore him, Siv focuses on the task at hand.

As she neatly dices the ginger root, her mind begins to wander. Would Professor Snape actually make them stay in these partnerships all term? Maybe he'd forget by the next time they have class; that would certainly be a nice surprise. She's just beginning to realize the type of miracle that would take when a sharp, stinging pain lances up her finger.

Involuntarily hissing in pain, Siv looks down to see that she's lightly cut her finger. It isn't a deep cut, but it _is_ bleeding a decent amount. Sucking on the cut lightly to try and alleviate the stinging, she goes to pick up the knife when Draco grabs it first.

"I'll do it, since you can't seem to finish the task without injuring yourself," Malfoy sneers. Reaching over, he pulls the board to himself and finishes dicing the rest of the ginger root rather messily. Deciding to keep her mouth shut, she doesn't comment on it as he slides the root into the cauldron. It's then that Siv realizes that she nor Draco have lit the fire underneath yet.

Feeling her face heat up at her rookie mistake, the Slytherin girl takes her finger from her mouth and grabs her wand from her bag. She goes to wave it and mutters "Incendio" right as Malfoy reaches for the container of armadillo bile. Unfortunately for him, the sleeve of his school robe is dangling right in the path of Siv's spell.

She watches in horror as a burst of orange fire spouts from the tip of her wand - flying towards the cauldron - when it lands on Draco's sleeve. The effect is instantaneous.

Malfoy snaps some choice words as he flails his arm, sending the armadillo bile all over the front of Siv's robes. It takes him a moment to put out the small fire, but by the time he does the entire class has stopped to look over at the pair. Meanwhile, Siv can sense the threat of her reappearing lunch as she breathes in the putrid scent of the bile. Feeling everyone's eyes on her, her eyes begin to water. This is not how she had planned her first potions lesson to go.

Professor Snape is over in a matter of seconds, looking at the duo with an unreadable expression. As Draco and Siv both open their mouths to try and explain, he raises a hand for silence.

"Ms. Andreasson, I suggest you take off your school robes and set them aside so you can focus on finishing this potion. I also will expect you to stay after class to clean up the mess you've made. As for you, Mr. Malfoy-" Snape is cut off by the Slytherin boy, who's holding his wrist with a pained expression painted on his face. "Sir, I think I need to see Ms. Pomfrey; Siv burned my sleeve, and it's really painful," he moans. Snape raises his eyebrows, clearly unimpressed with the act.

"You will stay here and finish this potion, Mr. Malfoy. Seeing as you're both almost done, I think your arm can stay attached for the next ten minutes or so." And with that, Snape stalks off to the front of the classroom. Siv swallows back tears as she slides her house robes off, wondering how she can possibly last the next ten minutes with this satan-spawn of a partner. Draco is clearly thinking along the same lines, because all he can manage is a furious glare pointed directly at her.

"I'm just going to finish this potion so I can leave," he snaps, trekking back to the shelves to find more armadillo bile. Sighing, Siv can barely bring herself to quickly read over Draco's textbook. What's the point anyways? He'll probably just do whatever he wants to do anyways. She forces herself to glance over though anyways, just to be sure that they're finishing the potion correctly.

Taking a quick mental note that they have to add the newt spleens before the bile, Siv retreats to her side of the table. Careful to make sure that Draco is nowhere nearby, she again summons a flame and gets the half-made potion to a light simmer. Malfoy swaggers back to their table shortly after, clearly still irritated with her over their earlier fiasco. As he uncaps the armadillo bile, Siv picks up the bowl of sliced newt spleens.

She's about to pour it into the potion when Draco hastily snatches it from her hands, glaring at her. "Hey! We have to add that before the bile!" she protests angrily. The platinum blonde simply curls his lip, asking, "Haven't you done enough already? I'll handle this." Siv begins to bristle, opening her mouth to deliver a scathing taunt about how his arm must be feeling perfectly fine considering that he's still a right git, but she thinks better of it.

"I read the book, it says we have to add the newt spleen first," she tries to reason, clearly doing her best to tightly cling onto her last scraps of patience. Draco ignores her entirely, instead dumping the bile into the cauldron. "You should've slowly stirred it in," Siv mutters, the tips of her ears turning red as Draco turns on her.

"I know what I'm doing, mudblood!" he snarls angrily. Siv shuts up promptly at this insult, confused as all hell. She's from a strong, ancient line of Norwegian wizards and witches who can trace their ancestry back to the Viking tribes of Scandinavia; she's anything but a muggle-born. And, considering Draco Malfoy's own lineage, why doesn't he know this? She has half a mind to finally give the spoiled brat a piece of her mind when he dumps the newt spleen in.

Almost instantly the potion begins bubbling angrily, emitting an awful smelling purple gas. Gagging at the scent, Siv covers her nose and mouth as she attempts to wave away the colored gas. She can't tell what Draco is doing, she's so focused on getting as far away from their table as possible. As the smell spreads, students nearby begin to cover their noses in similar fashion. Professor Snape swoops in, not even bothering to mask his face as he waves his wand and mutters a few incomprehensible words over the cauldron.

Unfortunately for Neville, this doesn't come soon enough; he's doubled over by his table, throwing up onto the ground by his feet. A few other students gag and groan at the sight and sound. As soon as Snape finishes though, the gas begins to dissipate. He turns his angry gaze onto Siv and Draco, his brows furrowed in fury. "Consider yourselves lucky that I was here. Had I not been, you and every other student in this class would have succumbed to an unpleasant toxin."

Siv averts her gaze as she shamefully makes her way back up to their table, her face flushed a brilliant shade of red. She can hear Anias trying to whisper shout something to her, but the blood rushing in her ears makes it impossible for her to hear anything.

As she reaches the table, Siv closes her book and stuffs it into her bag moodily. This is the first potion she's truly messed up since first year; considering that this is her best subject, she finds herself rather dejected at the results of this class. She doesn't bother to look over at her partner, although she doubts he's looking over at her either. No doubt he's fuming, and it's not like her would apologize even if she did look at him.

As class finishes up, Siv shoulders her bag and walks back to find Anias. As she's making her way over, Draco roughly shoulders past her without an apology. She doesn't bother to snap at him, still in turmoil over the results of their potion. Anias watches the encounter with narrowed eyes as he meets her halfway, his mouth opened to make some type of scathing comment at Draco. Siv shakes her head, not wanting to antagonize the git any longer. The brown-haired boy hesitates, but when he sees her vigorously shake her head again he lets it go. "Want to go back to the lake?" he asks, light concern shining in his gaze as he looks down at his friend. Siv nods in response and opens her mouth to say that yes, she very much would like to go back to the lake, when Professor Snape calls out to her.

"Ms. Andreasson, I surely hope you are not hoping to make a quick get-away. This mess needs to be cleaned up." Her heart sinks at the reminder, making her want to bash her head against the closest desk. How could she forget? Giving her friend a last, hopeless glance, the Slytherin girl turns around to face her teacher. "No, Professor."

Siv doesn't have the heart to turn around and say good-bye to Anias, too upset over the events of today's class to possibly have the words for it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all i'm gonna be clear & say that ik the general direction of this story but the in-between chapters are a bitch to write :')
> 
> as always, Anias is not my own character; be belongs to a friend


	5. Hidden Tears

Professor Snape doesn't say much as Siv busies herself with cleaning up. The hook-nosed teacher putters around at the front, going over the results of everyone else's potions at his demonstration table.

Meanwhile, Siv is left to clean away the rest of the spilled armadillo bile on the floor. She makes fairly quick work of it, using a flick or two of her wand to wipe up the nasty bodily fluid. Her mind is elsewhere though while she does this, still stuck on the events of today's class. As she leans back against the desk, absentmindedly watching the mess clean itself up, she ponders over Draco's poor attitude.

Sure, she'd said a few things this morning he no doubt hated, and she'd run into him outside the herbology greenhouses, but does that qualify him treating her like complete and utter garbage? Brows furrowing in thought, Siv also begins to question his reasoning for calling her a mudblood. It's an awful word to use in general, but why would he use it against a pureblood student? Maybe he did it knowing her blood status, just as a way to get under her skin; but what if he didn't know?

The thought is interesting, considering the fact that he comes from an old pureblood family himself. Surely he would know about the major wizarding families? It's hard to believe that he'd live in complete ignorance, but then again, he is a git. Maybe he just chose to call her that, knowing full well he was wrong.

If that's the case, then he's incredibly stupid. The word itself is disgusting, but she's secure enough in her blood status to not be troubled by it. Coming back to the present, Siv notes that the floor is now clean of bile. Slipping her wand into her bag, she reaches down and also grabs her ruined school robes. Making a mental note to wash it later, she shoulders her book bag and steps out into the aisle.

"Professor, I cleaned up the mess." Never mind the fact that she hadn't been the one to make the mess in the first place, but Malfoy could never be punished for his wrongdoings in this class. Siv keeps this to herself though as Snape looks up, nods, and mutters, "Very well."

As she turns to make her way out of the classroom, he adds, "And Ms. Andreasson - I know you are capable of producing better potions. In the future, please try to cooperate with Mr. Malfoy." Siv looks back and nods, despite the fact that her cheeks have begun to burn a bright cherry red. 

Exiting the potions classroom without a backwards glance, Siv clenches her fists angrily. She hadn't been the one to ruin the potion, and she hadn't been the one who had spilled the armadillo bile! Fuming over her teacher's last comment, she stalks towards the narrow staircase. 

Heading upstairs and then crossing the entrance hall, Siv makes her way outside onto the wet lawn of Hogwarts. The rainstorm that had swept in earlier has lost most of its ferocity, now only a faint sprinkle. Either way, she doesn't quite care; she's too focused on reaching the forest and her hidden clearing. Making her way down the path, Siv bundles straight past Hagrid's hut. The voices of the trio carry across the lawn to her, but she doesn't even bother to spare the house a glance.

As the small copse grows closer, Siv begins to calm down; her fists and jaw becomes unclenched and her pace begins to slow. As she steadily draws near, she's able to make out a figure on the edge of the forest. The messy brown hair of her best friend becomes apparent, causing her to sigh in relief.

She would rather not have to explain her presence out here to a random stranger.

Anias glances up a moment later, pushing himself upright from the tree he's been leaning on. His gaze glimmers with a mixture of concern and interest as he waits for his friend, only turning to walk into the forest once she's behind him.

"So, we know that Draco Malfoy is a bloody prick," Anias states confidently, keeping his gaze forward as he picks his way along the narrow path. Siv snorts, saying, "And that's an understatement. Try 'a fucking asshole who relies on his daddy's money and privilege so much that he can't wipe his arse for himself.'" Anias whistles lowly at her comment, shaking his head as he pauses to hold a low branch aside for Siv.

She moves past him, following the winding path as she hisses, "He cost me a good grade on my first day back in potions!"

Shortly after, the pair emerge from the dripping, soaked forest into the familiar little clearing. Letting her bag slide off her shoulder to hit the ground with a light thud, Siv plops unceremoniously onto a glistening stone. Letting her spoiled robe fall from her hands, she sighs and shakes her head.

Anias meanders over to a nearby tree, which he leans against to watch Siv's reaction. Raising her eyes after a few heartbeats of silence, the Slytherin girl says, "He called me a mudblood too." Eyes widening at this confession, her friend stands upright once more in outrage. As he opens his mouth to make a no-doubt scathing remark about Malfoy, Siv speaks up.

"And-And I'm not hurt by it! I know I come from a long line of wizards, I know I'm an Andreasson through-and-through. I just don't understand why he would say it, you know?" Averting her gaze to the ground, she scuffs her shoe against the ground. "He has to know I'm a pureblood, he's one himself. Otherwise, why would he bother calling me that?"

Anias rolls his eyes, saying, "Does it matter why he did it? What we know - what you know - is that Draco Malfoy is a fucking dick. He's a git, Siv, and he isn't worth this much thought." Taking a step forward, her friend crouches down in front of her and places a steady hand on her shoulder. Letting go of his anger, Anias calmly looks into Siv's gaze and adds, "You know you're amazing at potions. It isn't your fault that Malfoy is a stubborn arse who refuses to listen. I know that too! Hell, Snape probably knows it!" Siv returns her friend's serious gaze for a heartbeat, listening to his words and really trying to take them to heart.

When he brings up their potions master, though, Siv clenches her jaw and firmly shakes her head. "No, if he did then he wouldn't get mad and make me clean up a mess I never even made! AND-" Jumping to her feet, Anias backs up to give her some room. Dramatically stepping forward with a sour grimace on her face, Siv drawls in Snape's familiar tone, "-AND Ms. Andreasson, it would be good of you to remember to cooperate with Mr. Malfoy next time."

Anias snorts in laughter at this, although he's clearly irritated when he says, "Did he really say that?"

Siv nods furiously, groaning angrily as she plops back down on her rock. "It's like he thinks I did all that on purpose! I mean, if it weren't for Draco bloody Malfoy then we wouldn't have almost poisoned the entire class!" the sandy blonde mutters angrily, glaring down at Anias' shoes.

Her friend sighs instinctively, shaking his head as he leans back against the tree. "It's a shame he's in Slytherin; I'd be rather glad if we could have a single class period without him in it," Anias adds, chewing on his lip. Siv scuffs her shoe on the muddy grass, muttering, "You said it."

The two friends sit in comfortable silence after this, simply taking in their green surroundings. Anias sighs heavily and raises his head, looking up at the cloud-filled sky through the branches above. The full leaves above are weighed down by water droplets, which occasionally drop down through the foliage and onto the damp forest ground. Siv, meanwhile, has turned her gaze towards the lake. She observes the inky black depths of the lake for some time, turning their conversation over and over in her mind.

She's always enjoyed the subject of potions, always. Even if Snape could be a downright unpleasant teacher to have, she still excels in his class. But now, with the threat of Draco hanging over her head, how will she ever get over this mounting dread she's feeling? Curling into a ball, Siv rests her head on her knees and stares out past the lake, towards the towering mountains beyond.

Will Draco Malfoy ruin this term of potions for her entirely?

Some time later, Siv finds herself back within the stone walls of Hogwarts. Instead of trudging back to the common room though, Anias had decided he wanted to spend their study break in the library. The Slytherin girl is more than happy to agree, hoping that she'd be able to prolong the time until she'll inevitably run into Malfoy. She's calmed down considerably, but she knows herself well enough that if she is to see him, she'd probably tear up. Merlin knows she doesn't need to give that nasty boy any more ammunition to work with.

So the pair make their way up to the library, which is surprisingly empty. Most of their house must've retired to their dorms or settled outside to enjoy the rest of the sunny day. This more than pleases Siv, who can now comfortably settle down at one of the many tables set up. Not needing to worry about anyone else, she sits down and goes to pull out her Herbology homework. As she tugs out a spare piece of parchment, ink, and quill though, she remembers her potions textbook. Taking it out as well, she carefully sets it on the table and opens it.

Anias, who's sitting across the table from her, wrinkles his nose at the musty scent emanating from her book. "I know it needs to be dried, but why do you have to do that here?" he mutters, pinching his nose shut as he flips through his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.

"Yeah, why do you have to do that here?" a low voice drawls snarkily.

Surprised, Siv glances up and looks around until her eyes alight on Draco. The blonde is leaning against a table behind her, arms crossed in front of his chest as he smirks down at her.

The Slytherin girl feels many emotions at once, but the first and foremost thing she wants to do is to wipe that smug smile off his face. She doesn't have the facilities for that though, not when she's so caught off guard (and nevermind her complete lack of confidence, either). So she simply stares up at him, looking like a deer who's just been caught in a pair of blinding LED headlights.

Draco raises an eyebrow at her response, adding, "Cat got your tongue? Good. Now can you stay that quiet in potions tomorrow?" he snarks, rolling his eyes. Anias stands up at this, his chair scraping the floor loudly as he snaps, "Oy, bugger off, will you?" Siv, however, is staring up at her classmate in horror. Potions, tomorrow? AGAIN? With Draco Malfoy?

Within seconds of the spat starting though, the Hogwarts librarian appears, her face wrinkled in disdain. "SHHH!" she whisper yells, shooting the three students a death glare. "The library is for reading and studying ONLY, not for you to sort out your grievances. Now go, shoo!"

Anias grumbles a few choice words under his breath as he aggressively shoves his book back into his bag. Siv stares up at Madame Pince, opening and closing her mouth as she tries to explain herself. "I-no-we-we were studying, Madame Pince! I promise!" The librarian glares down through her thick pair of glasses and shushes her again, motioning for her to get a move on.

Malfoy snickers at this turn of events, not realizing that he's included until Pince shoots him a death glare. "Fuck's sake," he grumbles, returning her glare before he turns around to grab his own book bag. As Siv slides her books back into her own bag, she fights to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. She is by no means a crybaby, but Draco has to ruin her study period as well? Whirling around, Siv marches past Draco with her nose in the air and makes for the hall.

Madame Pince watches them off, waiting until she's sure that the rowdy Slytherin students have truly gone before returning to her desk.

Back out in the corridor, Anias turns on Draco. The tall fourth year looks like he's about to rip Malfoy a new one, but the blonde himself clearly has some words of his own.

"You couldn't keep your bloody mouth shut, and now you got us kicked out!" Draco snaps unfairly, standing up to Anias. Anias, on the other hand, squares his shoulders and steps up; he's a fair few inches taller than Draco, but this doesn't seem to bother Malfoy.

"I got us kicked out? It was you who opened your fucking mouth and got us in trouble! If you hadn't done that we'd still be in the library!" Anias hisses venomously, eyes narrowed as he peers down at Draco. Malfoy opens his mouth to taunt Anias in return, but her friend realizes that Siv is stalking off down the hallway. Anias hesitates, clearly not wanting to back down. If he does, who knows when he'll hear the last of it from Draco and his goons?

But Siv's disappearing figure convinces him to let it be for the time being, so he steps back with a huff. "Just don't bother us again," Anias snaps. He walks past Draco, who's infuriated at the fact that Anias has backed down. "Too scared that you'll get your ass handed to you in a duel?" he taunts mockingly, turning around to watch Anias walk away.

Neither of them dignify his taunt with a backwards glance though, Siv too emotional to even hear the boy and Anias too focused on catching up to her to care.

It isn't until they're both descending the stairs to the dungeons that Anias is able to catch up. Putting a hand on Siv's shoulder to slow her down, he asks, "Stop, Siv." Siv spares him a glance and shakes her head, saying, "No. We can talk later Anias, but right now I just want to go back to my dorm." She doesn't have to say "alone" for her friend to understand the context, so he lets go of her.

Siv turns back around and continues on her way to the Slytherin common room, embroiled in her emotions caused by the confrontation with Draco. Muttering the password without a second glance, the Slytherin girl steps inside the dim room and immediately makes her way up towards the girls' dormitories. Most of her house is gathered in the common room, some talking and others finishing up homework as she plods past. None of them bother to look up at her, which is perfectly fine with her.

Within seconds of entering the common room, Siv is back in her bedroom. Closing the door tightly behind her, she turns to face her empty dormitory and pauses. Chest heaving with an overwhelming amount of feelings, the sandy blonde slides down to the floor and begins to silently cry.

Tears stream down her red cheeks as she stares up at the dark ceiling, clutching her book bag and dirty robes tightly to her chest. Her heart pounds painfully away as her silent tears turn into wretched sobs. The past few months of anxiety that have been painfully gnawing away at her insides have finally reached their peak; no longer able to hold in her emotions, Siv succumbs to the hiccuping sobs that wrack her chest.

As a fresh wave of overwhelming emotions washes over her, Siv can feel herself gradually let go. She lets go of all the doubt she's had about her parents over these past months, of the feelings she's bottled up to appease her grandfather, of the anticipation she'd felt for weeks before returning to Hogwarts, and of the sour taste of disappointment that his year has served her so far. She lets go of any remaining hope she's been holding onto for her fourth year, and she lets go of her expectations of potions and Draco.

Time slips by as Siv cries, eyes and nose running as she finally releases all of the pent up emotions she's been carrying. She gradually loses awareness of her surroundings as her body-wracking sobs become few and far between. Still, she holds in most of her cries and muffles them by her dirty Slytherin robes; she may not be at home or at her grandparents' place, but she can still feel the sting of her grandfather's words whenever he'd found her crying.

Siv has no sense of what time it is by the time the flood of tears slows. Curled up against the door of her room, she stares blankly at the floor in front of her for quite some time. She can feel her eyes grow heavier with exhaustion by the second, her resolve to stay awake weakening as more time passes.

Finally unable to keep herself awake, her eyelids close from tiredness as she slips into a deep and dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm doing my best djsfldkjsflk this in between stage is weird to write tho so i'm tryna get as much interaction w draco as reasonably possible
> 
> anias is not my character, he belongs to a friend


	6. Fire-Side Storytelling

Out in the Slytherin common room, time is passing as normally as ever. As dinner rolls around, students begin to pack up their school work and drop it off in their dorms. The dark room empties gradually as groups of friends depart to the Great Hall for dinner. Anias is the last to go, giving the stairway up to the girl's dormitories one last look before he leaves the common room.

Time ticks by as night falls, turning the depths of the Black Lake a midnight black as the sun sets. Slytherin students begin to trickle back into the common room minutes after dinner ends, reclaiming their seats around the spacious room. Anias walks in shortly after, his gaze scanning the room for any sign of his best friend.

Siv still has yet to appear though, leaving Anias feeling dejected. He won't go searching for her; she always comes around eventually. So the rest of the evening passes away like such, with the rowdy talk and laughter of Slytherins echoing around their common room. As the grandfather clock chimes loudly eleven times, some of the students put away their books and wish each other good-night.

The common room slowly empties over the next hour, and by the time the clock reaches twelve, Anias is yawning. He'd finished his homework in the last twenty minutes or so, resigning himself to sit and wait awhile for Siv after. Seeing that she isn't out of her room yet though, her friend shakes his head and gets to his feet. As he makes his way up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, he can hear the loud laughter of Crabbe and Goyle from behind him. Rolling his eyes, he doesn't bother to give Malfoy and his goon squad a second glance before he shuts the door to his room firmly behind him.

Back in the common room, Draco is telling an involved story about one of his recent quidditch practices. Gathered around him in a circle of surrounding seats sit Blaise Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle. His girlfriend Pansy shares his seat with him, absentmindedly doodling on the empty side of her unfinished Herbology homework. The laughter of the group echoes up the stairwell to the girls' dormitories, where it reverberates off Siv's bedroom door.

Startling awake, the bleary-eyed Slytherin glances around her room in fear. Once she realizes that she's alone, she sighs and puts her head in her hands. How long has she been asleep for? Considering that the candles are burning considerably low, it must've been for quite some time.

Gently unfurling herself from her tight fetal position, she can feel her strained muscles ache in protest. Wincing, Siv slowly stretches out. It's when she's setting aside her book bag and soiled robes that she remembers her unfinished homework.

"Shit," she mutters to herself, rubbing her eyes groggily. Professor Sprout would probably let it go if she doesn't finish her work, but she doesn't want to start this year off on a bad, er, worse foot than she already has. Grumbling in annoyance, Siv pulls herself to her feet and sways unsteadily for a moment.

She grabs her book bag and swings it over her shoulder, smooths down her wrinkled skirt, and then quietly pulls open the door. Making her way robotically down the stairs, she almost doesn't recognize the snarky voice of possibly her least favorite person until she's standing out by the grandfather clock.

A fire is crackling merrily away in the grate, despite the fact that it's beginning to run low on fuel. The common room itself is mostly empty, except for Malfoy and his friends; they're sitting over by the grand window looking out into the lake. Knowing that it's too late for her to turn back now, Siv silently resigns herself to her fate and makes her way over to the fire.

Before she can even sit down, she can hear soft whispers and snickering coming from over where the friends are gathered. Thankful that the warm light of the fire hides the flush on her cheeks and the redness of her eyes, she sits with her back to them and attempts to ignore their talking.

For a few seconds, she thinks it might actually work. Pansy's higher voice mutters something to the boys, and the snickering stops for a bit. Pulling out her herbology book, Siv hesitates as she eyes her potions book. No doubt the pages are glued together now by the hardened newt spleen gunk, but still...recalling the scene that they'd made in the library when she'd opened it to dry, the Slytherin girl sighs softly and sets her bag down. No doubt Draco would have some comment to make about the smell if she tries it again.

Pulling her legs underneath her, Siv sets about dating her blank parchment with her quill and pulls her textbook closer. She still has most of the questions to answer, considering that she hadn't gotten any work done earlier that day. Not only were there multiple questions though, but they required at the very least a paragraph for an answer each. Rubbing her temple, Siv has half a mind to slam her book shut and call it a night.

Professor Sprout would let it slip, considering that she's kept up pretty good grades in her class for the past four years...

Shaking her head to herself, she bites her lip and begins to read the first question. No, she won't be using that to her advantage; she's been assigned this homework just the same as everyone else, so not doing it wouldn't be fair to her or anyone else.

Siv has just finished reading the first question when Malfoy calls out, "Still having problems with your herbology homework?" Gripping her quill with extra force, she pointedly ignores the taunt and begins writing down her answer. When he doesn't receive an answer, he crosses one leg over the other and leans back in his chair. "It's a shame, really. You'd think that Sprout would've given you extra homework for breaking one of her pots." Crabbe and Goyle snicker at this, so Draco plunges on to say, "You know, just like you had to clean up in potions after class."

Siv bites her tongue and continues to write, dead-set on just ignoring the git so she can finish her homework and go to bed.

Tutting, Blaise leans back in his chair and peers at his nails in disinterest. "That's about as funny as everytime you say 'My father will hear about this!' I mean really, can't you just go back to your story?" he sighs, glancing up at the blonde. Pansy pauses in her doodling just then, nodding in agreement. "Why don't you tell the story about the time you beat Ravenclaw by catching the snitch again? I rather like that one," she points out airily.

Draco, not seeming to like their criticism one bit, huffs and rolls his eyes. "Fine. You'll get your story, just as soon as she tells me in full detail how cleaning up the armadillo bile went," he sneers, directing his gaze at the back of Siv's chair.

Unable to completely tune the friends out, Siv stops in her writing. Jaw clenched, she glares down at her homework as if it has just uttered those words itself. She can hear Crabbe and Goyle snicker inconspicuously, causing her to set her quill down with a fiery sense of calm. He wants to hear about how it went? Fine. She'd give him just that. Closing her textbook with a snap of finality, she ignores the taunting "oooooo"s coming from her fellow Slytherins. Stuffing everything back into her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, she stands up and turns to face the small group.

"For your information, it took me less than a minute. But considering the fact that it took me such a short time, Professor Snape surely had me do it because he knows you're too incompetent to even flick your wand for a small mess." Then, turning on her heel, she stalks back up to her dormitory. It isn't until she's a little ways up the stairs that she can hear Draco jeer, "Well at least he recognizes you for what you are! Nothing but a filthy, muggle-loving mudblood!"

Too angry and tired to bite back, Siv closes her door firmly behind her. She doesn't even stop to acknowledge his familiar insult, instead stripping herself hastily of her school clothes and changing into her night clothes. Then, flopping forward onto her bed, Siv closes her eyes and forces sleep upon herself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

The next morning dawns bright and sunny, not a single cloud in the sky to hint at the rainstorm that had swept through the day prior. Down in the Slytherin common room, a new fire hungrily engulfs the wood that had just been set in the grate. Siv sleepily trudges down the stairs, her hair tied up in a messy bun.

As soon as she enters the dim common room, she's greeted by Anias walking over. Slinging his arm over her shoulder in his usual fashion, he gives her hair a friendly ruffle. "Good morning, Ms. Sunshine," he chuckles, hopeful that after a good night's sleep Siv is feeling better.

While this isn't entirely true, Siv can't blatantly ignore his cheerful mood. A smile creeps onto her lips as she exits the common room with Anias, blinking away the sleep in her eyes. "What class do we have first today?" she asks with a barely concealed yawn. Her friend tuts jokingly, saying, "Didn't get much sleep now, did we? Oh, and we have charms first."

Siv smacks her friend playfully as she disengages from his side, an airy laugh leaving her lips. "Well considering that I attempted to finish my herbology homework and failed miserably, not really." Her smile falters as she recalls the events of last night, specifically Malfoy calling her a 'mudblood' again. As they start up the narrow stairs to the main hall, Siv glances behind them before leaning in and muttering, "I had another run in with Draco last night, in the common room."

Anias purses his lips at this, eyes narrowing as he whispers, "Didn't say anything stupid, did he?" Siv snorts, laughing, "All that comes out of his mouth when he talks is stupid!" Anias snickers at her comment, but regains his seriousness a moment later and asks, "Didn't toss your herbology book into the fire?" Siv rolls her eyes, shaking her head.

"No. I walked into the common room pretty late to do my homework; I didn't realize he was already there with his friends until it was too late. I tried to ignore him so I could work, but he made it impossible." Sighing as they reach the top step, Siv has to take a moment to catch her breath. Stupid stairs. Why couldn't they enchant them to magically move them to the top or something?

"Anyways, he asked me how it was to clean up his mess." A proud smile settles on her face as she goes on to say, "And I told him that Snape asked me to do it because he knew Draco wouldn't be able to manage a simple cleaning spell on his own." Anias whistles, his bi-colored eyes glowing in admiration.

"Siv? Standing up for herself? Unheard of," he chuckles, earning him a sharp elbow to the side. As they meander into the Great Hall in search of breakfast, Siv finishes her story by saying, "And he called me a 'mudblood' again. It doesn't bother me, of course, but it has to prove that he doesn't know my real blood status."

Setting her book bag on the Slytherin table, she takes a seat as Anias sits across from her. "I mean, he told me 'At least Snape knows you for what you really are, a muggle-loving mudblood.'" Brows furrowed in confusion, Anias shakes his head. "Might need to flash your birth certificate at him or something. Might give him a scare if he realizes he's insulting someone of your blood lineage."

Siv pauses at this, a sudden and wonderful plan coming to mind.

"What if I do just that?" she asks, her excitement mounting. Anias, who has just taken his first bite of scrambled eggs, is staring at his friend with an open mouthful of food.

Nearly choking, he coughs on his scrambled eggs and manages to say, "D-Do you think that'll a-a-actually work? I-I mean-" Grabbing a cup of water, he takes a swig and catches his breath before leaning in to mutter, "Your mother would never send your birth certificate by owl, and I doubt that it would stop his behavior. At best, it'd most likely surprise him."

Siv shakes her head, setting down her fork in her mounting excitement. "No, don't you get it? I don't have to surprise him, I have to get at his father!"

Anias flashes his friend a doubtful look as she takes another bite. Mouth full of egg, he mumbles, "Lucius Malfoy? What are you gonna do, hex him? He doesn't visit Hogwarts often, and even then you'd get in loads of trouble for jinxing a school governor."

Siv shakes her head firmly again, beginning to grow agitated that Anias isn't understanding what she's trying to say. "No! But you know who WILL get to him? My grandfather!"

As the head of one of the oldest and most powerful pureblood families in Norway, he's incredibly proud of his blood status. A blow as low as 'mudblood' from a fourteen year old boy of a rich English pureblood family would be enough to wound his pride, thus causing him to go straight to Lucius Malfoy himself. This clearly doesn't need to be explained further to Anias though, whose eyes go wide as saucers once it becomes clear to him.

"Now THAT'S bold," he mutters, staring wide-eyed at Siv. Swallowing, he adds, "Are you sure you want to do this? Grandpa Orvur gets quite worked up whenever his blood status is brought into question."

Siv hesitates at this, remembering the last poor bloke to mistake her grandfather's status for half-blood. The wizard in question had lost his job, and he and his family had disappeared over a period of months. The Ministry of Magic had claimed it'd been under mysterious and sad circumstances, but anyone in the Andreasson family knows just how far her grandfather's status reaches.

Mulling it over for a few extra seconds, she eventually sighs heavily. "I guess I'll give him a few days to shape up. If he continues to act the way he has though, I'll do it with no hesitation."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> s p i c y
> 
> Anias is not my character, he belongs to a friend!


	7. Unexpected Help (and also an Apology?)

The sun is rising steadily higher as the second day at Hogwarts begins. Back inside the towering walls of Hogwarts, students of all ages are gathering their books and setting out for their first classes. In the upper hallways of the wizarding school walk Siv and Anias, making their way to Charms.

The corridor is flooded with excited, wide-eyed first years through nonchalant seventh years, all bustling in their own directions. As the pair of friends round the corner, Siv is momentarily blinded by the sunlight gleaming through the tall windows. Once her eyes adjust, she can tell that it’s a beautiful day outside; the sky is practically empty of clouds, an endless sea of blue. The trees out on the grounds sway gently with the invisible breeze, blissfully unaware of the business of the castle.

Siv tears her gaze away from the gorgeous scenery, biting her lip as they make their way down the hall. Oh, to be outside! Charms class is good too, but it probably won’t be as warm or bright in the classroom.

As they turn and enter into a long classroom, Siv can tell that she’s right. It certainly isn’t the same as being outside on a late summer day, but it’s loads better than the potions’ classroom. Falling into step behind Anias, she absentmindedly follows him up into the stands that sit on the longer sides of the room. Noting that they’ve taken the middle row, she inwardly sighs.

It’s not that there’s anything inherently bad with the middle row, but she’d rather not be stuck in front of any undesirable...people. Classmates. Sitting herself down without a complaint though, Siv sets her book bag on the ground beside her chair and leans forward in her seat.

As Anias mutters away to himself, clearly caught up in his own thoughts, Siv turns her attention towards the door. Since they share the class period with Ravenclaw, a few students with blue-lined robes are trickling in alongside the Slytherins. A few of the students sit with friends from the other houses, but many of them stay on their respective sides of the room.

As the last of the students file into the classroom, Siv props her head disinterestedly on her hand. As she does so, however, she unwillingly catches a flash of blonde hair from the doorway. Doing her best to simply turn her attention elsewhere, she looks towards the front of the classroom.

Where is Professor Flitwick? It’s so unusual for him to be late, and now more than ever she wishes he were here. It’s during this moment of wishful thinking that Siv feels something hit the back of her head. She doesn’t even have to turn around to know who’s sitting behind her, and she can involuntarily feel her eyes begin to roll back into her head. Why? Why does he feel this is necessary?

Siv has half a mind to whip around and snap his wand in half when in rushes their disheveled-looking Charms teacher. The laughter becomes muted as students turn to watch their teacher stumble in, curious to see him late.

The short professor walks behind his podium and then promptly climbs up, using surrounding book piles as steps up. Finally, when he’s on top of his podium, Professor Flitwick clears his throat and sets his papers down beside him. “My dear students, I apologize for my tardiness! There was a bit of an accident down by the moving staircases, unfortunate first year fell, quite some nasty business-”

Shocked murmurs ripple through the stands, but Anias is quick to elbow Siv and joke, “Surprised it isn’t you that’s being peeled off the lowest floor.” Siv rolls her eyes and elbows him back, a light smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Flitwick clears his throat to gain the attention of his students once more, his bright eyes sweeping the gathered teenagers. “Now today we will-”

Siv tunes their professor out the moment another small piece of paper hits her in the back of the head. Angered, she turns in her seat to glare at the person behind her; when her gaze falls on Pansy instead of Draco, though, she finds herself staring. The pretty fourth year leans in, casting their teacher a quick glance, before murmuring, “Hey listen, I have the Herbology homework if you need the answers.”

Siv is too stunned at the fact that Pansy Parkingson is talking to her to answer, at first. How long has she harbored a tiny crush on this girl? And she’s talking to her now? When Pansy quirks an eyebrow in confusion, Siv realizes she’s been staring open-mouthed for far too long. Quickly closing her mouth, she absentmindedly nods.

A slight smile forms on Pansy’s lips as she sits back, nodding in agreement. “Meet you after class out in the courtyard,” she whispers. As her Slytherin classmate lifts her gaze to Professor Flitwick, Siv herself remembers that they are, in fact, in a class. Turning her gaze forward, she dazedly listens to their teacher’s lecture.

What are the odds that Pansy would want to help her? Honestly, if anyone had told her in mid-first year that she’d be talking to Pansy now, she wouldn’t believe it. Anias doesn’t seem to believe it either though, because he elbows her harshly as he passes a note to her. Looking up to make sure that Professor Flitwick is busy demonstrating the wand-motions for the next spell, she looks down to read the note.

‘Are you actually going to meet up with her? I can give you the answers.’

Siv scribbles out a hastily written note, saying, ‘This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.’ Hoping that Pansy isn’t watching their interaction, she slides the note back over to Anias. It only takes him seconds to read it, snorting in barely-contained sarcasm as he writes down his response.

During this time, Professor Flitwick finishes his demonstration and crosses to the opposite side of the classroom to help a struggling Ravenclaw. Seeing his window of opportunity, Anias passes the note back.

‘It could be a trick.’

Siv doesn’t write an answer back, nor does she attempt to whisper to her friend for the rest of class. Instead, she fixates on his answer.

What if it is a trick? What will she do? Pansy had just sat by last night while Draco had taunted her, so Anias could be right. Glancing over her left shoulder, she can tell that Draco looks more sullen than usual though. Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise have seats between him and Pansy, which is probably why she had been able to talk to Siv. Otherwise, she’s sure she’d never hear the end of it. Knowing this, though, she hardly doubts that Draco won’t have some remarks to make later.

As class draws to a close and Professor Flitwick clambers back up onto his stack of giant textbooks, Siv finds herself drifting back to reality. Her classmates are beginning to pack up around her, sliding their books and note-filled parchments into their book bags. Wands are slipped into pockets and hearty chatter resumes as the students begin to find their way out of the Charms classroom.

Anias is finishing packing up when Siv dazedly reaches for her own book bag. Slipping her own textbook and blank parchment into her bag, she shoulders it and follows her friend from the classroom. She’s too preoccupied to notice that the note between the two of them has fallen onto the floor, and she doesn’t glance back to notice Draco stoop to pick it up behind his group of friends.

As Siv and Anias make their way through the halls, she begins to regain some of her mental capacity. Making a swift and firm decision, she silently leads the way through the halls and out towards the courtyard. As they reach the doors leading outside, Anias suddenly stops. “No. No, I am not going outside, and neither are you,” he hisses stubbornly.

Siv sighs and turns around, looking back at her best friend. “Anias, whether or not you come outside I am going. Like it or not, I need those answers, and who knows if Pansy’ll ever talk to me again?” Turning on her heel, she doesn’t give her friend a chance to respond. She’s out the door and in the courtyard before he can say anything, footfalls certain as she nears the fountain.

As she draws closer, she can tell that Pansy has yet to arrive. Forcing down the pit of anxiety that’s spawned in her stomach, Siv sits, crosses one leg over the other, smooths down her skirt, and pretends to busy herself by taking out her Herbology work. She doesn’t notice Anias huffily stomp into the courtyard and sit on a bench in her peripheral vision, switching his gaze between his book and her occasionally.

As the bright warmth of the sun shines down on the courtyard, Siv begins to wish that she could dip her feet in the fountain. The light mist that it creates does little to appease the heat of the late summer sun, making her feel impossibly hotter. As she resigns herself to actually working on finishing her Herbology homework, believing that Pansy doesn’t intend to show up, someone plops down beside her.

Looking up with a smile on her face, Siv falters when she meets Draco’s gaze. Her heart sinking, she realizes that it might actually be a trick; was she naive to believe that it would turn out any other way?

The blonde is smirking smugly, coldly staring down at her as if he’s just received news of her untimely death. “Please Draco, I’m really not in the mood right now. Can it just wait til potions?” She mutters, picking up her book bag to start putting her things away. But he effectively gets her to stop when he lazily drawls, “Are you actually going to meet up with her? I can give you the answers.” Confusion flickers across her face, only to be quickly replaced by a panic-stricken expression.

“No, how did you-”

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he sneers lowly, a nasty grin on his face. “So, got something for my girlfriend, have you?” he mutters, smiling the whole time. Siv shakes her head immediately, her eyes wide in an unreadable expression.

At this moment Anias forces his way into the conversation, walking straight up to Draco. Grabbing him by the collar of his clean-pressed white shirt, he lifts him up onto his feet and mutters, “Scram, Malfoy. We’re busy.”

“Draco?” a familiar voice calls. Turning her head, Siv spots Pansy Parkinson storming over with her herbology book clutched to her chest. Feeling her stomach drop all the way to her feet, Siv blushes furiously as she looks away. Anias lets Draco drop suddenly and steps away, still sneering angrily down at the platinum blonde. Much to their surprise though, Pansy walks right up to him and shoves a finger into his chest.

“I told you to meet me at lunch! I don’t need you in my business all the bloody time!” she shrieks irritably. Siv’s mouth drops open and Anias’ eyes become as wide as saucers as they look on.

Draco stumbles back, clearly at a loss for words. “Pansy, I was only trying to-”

“I don’t care what you were trying to do! Just give me ten minutes to myself, alright?” she snaps, her pale skin flushed a brilliant red. Draco doesn’t allow himself to hesitate, instead clamping his jaws shut. “Very well,” he snaps. Smoothing down his school robes, he shoots both Siv and Anias one last dirty look before stalking off in the direction of the Great Hall.

The three of them sit in silence for awhile, Pansy furiously watching him go as she takes deep, calming breaths. Finally, almost a minute later, Pansy recollects herself and sits down beside Siv. “Now, what questions did you need the answers for?”

Shocked, Siv stares at Anias wordlessly before stuttering, “O-Oh! Let me just-...” And taking out her Herbology textbook and unfinished work, she checks over the questions she doesn’t have answered.

The two work in an awkward silence, only talking when they absolutely have to. Anias, seeing that everything is going okay, chooses to sit on the other side of Siv and wait. Slowly but surely they fill out all of the unanswered questions for the homework, making quick work of what’s left over.

And finally, once Siv has put down her quill and closed her book, Pansy turns to look at her. “I hope I helped you out, I know that after last night you probably didn’t get a lot of homework done…” she trails off.

Siv looks up in slight surprise, shocked that Draco’s own girlfriend seems to be attempting some type of...apology? No, that can’t be right. This is Pansy Parkinson, she would never apologize. Not for something she hasn’t done, at the very least. Knotting her hands together in her lap, Siv anxiously glances away and bites her lip.

At her lack of response, Pansy gets to her feet and shoulders her bag. Siv stands up quickly, her cheeks flushing as she says, “No, no, I-I mean I didn’t finish all my homework, but-but-...thank you.” She stutters, eyes glancing quickly up to Pansy before she looks away.

The black-haired girl hesitates, then returns her smile. “Anytime,” she adds uncertainly, then turns away to leave for the Great Hall.

Siv sits back down with a stupid smile on her face, clutching her notes as she watches her go. Anias scoots over and elbows her lightly, chuckling as he says, “Hey, guess I was wrong, wasn’t I?” Siv elbows him back, laughing softly as she blushes.

“I mean, you definitely weren’t right, but I don’t think we were expecting what had happened either.”

Anias laughs, but his smile fades as he asks, “What did Malfoy say to you earlier?” Siv’s smile disappears completely and she looks away. “It doesn’t matter now, it was a stupid insult,” she replies. Standing up, she pulls her bag onto her shoulder and turns back to smile brightly.

“Anyways, why don’t we go get some lunch and start on our Charms homework?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> siv is definitely bi, but also pansy isn't going to be a complete bitch in this story; i want to reframe her character and allow her to have some positive personality traits :)
> 
> as always, anias is not my character

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: so this is my first fanfiction in a long, long time. i'm hoping that i'll be able to update somewhat regularly since this will be a slow burn story :") anyways!
> 
> the characters Anias and Calaena belong to two of my friends, they are not mine
> 
> ik this chapter is a bit short; i'm hoping to make the following chapters longer! buti hope y'all enjoyed this first chapter, i'll be updating again soon !


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